--- name: memory/insight-distillation description: Use during periodic review sessions (weekly/monthly/quarterly) to turn raw captures into reusable frameworks — patterns captured ≥3 times become named, documented, ready-to-reuse frameworks. Default skill for Starlight Second Brain. type: personal-life-os --- # Insight Distillation > *"Three captures is a pattern. Five is a framework. Seven is a signature. Count."* ## When This Skill Activates - Periodic review sessions — weekly, monthly, quarterly - Keywords: *distill*, *synthesize captures*, *monthly review*, *what did I learn*, *connect the dots*, *pattern across notes* - Default for: Starlight Second Brain - Composes with: memory/knowledge-synthesis, intelligence/pattern-recognition, memory/vault-management ## What This Skill Does Turns raw captures into reusable frameworks. Captures are cheap; frameworks are portable IP. Distillation is the process of noticing the signal across the noise — patterns captured ≥3 times become named, documented, ready-to-reuse frameworks. Distillation runs on three cadences: - **Weekly** (lightweight, 15 min of the 30-min review): cluster inbox + new captures by theme; identify emerging patterns - **Monthly** (90 min dedicated session): elevate validated patterns to named frameworks; archive raw captures - **Quarterly** (half-day integration): cross-reference against Genius Profile; propose evolution or net-new frameworks ## Core Principles 1. **Count occurrences, don't vibe.** A pattern is only real at ≥3 occurrences across the window. Two is coincidence. One is anecdote. Inherited from Genius excavation — the rule is the same for personal ongoing capture as it is for one-time excavation. 2. **Distill before you dedupe.** Two captures saying similar things is a signal; one "master note" erases the frequency signal. Cluster first, count second, elevate third. 3. **Distillate preserves; raw archives.** Once a pattern elevates to a framework, the raw captures can archive — the distillate carries forward. 4. **Not every cluster becomes a framework.** Sometimes a theme shows up 3 times and the honest answer is "interesting, not yet useful." Note the theme; don't force elevation. 5. **Cross-reference before naming.** A pattern that resembles an existing Genius framework is probably evolution, not net-new. Check before naming. ## Procedures ### Procedure 1: Load Captures From Window Scope by cadence: - **Weekly:** Last 7 days of captures + current inbox - **Monthly:** Last 30 days of captures + accumulated weekly clusters - **Quarterly:** Last 90 days of monthly distillates + Genius Profile for cross-reference Read all captures in the window. Do not skim — clustering requires reading in full. This is why weekly is 15 min, not 60 min: fewer captures, less to read. ### Procedure 2: Cluster By Theme Group captures that touch the same underlying theme. A theme is not a category — it's an emerging *thing the person has been thinking about repeatedly*. Example (a practitioner's monthly distillation): - Cluster A: 5 captures about client-calls where the framework worked even when the client resisted → theme: "framework resilience under client friction" - Cluster B: 3 captures about why one vocabulary word kept returning across unrelated coaching conversations → theme: "vocabulary as diagnostic" - Cluster C: 2 captures about a new energy-management observation → theme: still emerging, watch next month Clusters are named in the person's own voice, not a generic category. "Framework resilience under client friction" is what the practitioner would say; "client-handling patterns" is what a template would say. Voice matters. ### Procedure 3: Identify Emerging Patterns (≥3 Threshold) For each cluster, count occurrences. Apply the threshold: - **≥3 occurrences** → eligible for elevation to framework (proceed to step 4) - **2 occurrences** → coincidence; hold for next window - **1 occurrence** → anecdote; archive or drop Record the count. The count is part of the distillate — "observed 5 times across March" is stronger evidence than "I noticed this." ### Procedure 4: Elevate Patterns To Frameworks For each eligible cluster, write a framework draft: ``` ### Framework: **Observed:** > **Evidence:** <3-5 capture references — dates + one-line excerpts> **What it says:** <2-3 sentences naming the pattern> **When it applies:** **When it fails:** **Status:** draft / validated / deprecated ``` A framework starts as `draft`. It becomes `validated` at the next cadence (monthly → quarterly) if still observed. Deprecated if contradicted by later captures. ### Procedure 5: Cross-Reference Against Genius Profile Load the person's Genius Profile (`genius/profile-.md`). For each new framework draft, answer: - **Does this resemble an existing Profile framework?** - *Yes, refinement* → propose evolution to that framework; do not create net-new - *Yes, contradiction* → flag for next excavation cycle; the Profile may be outdated - *No resemblance* → candidate for net-new Profile framework at quarterly integration Write proposals to `second-brain/genius-evolution/.md`. Never mutate the Profile directly — Genius agent confirms evolutions. ### Procedure 6: Archive Raw Captures Once a cluster has distilled into a framework draft, archive the raw captures: - Raw captures → `second-brain/archive//` - Distillate (the framework draft) → `personal//wisdom-vault.md` under `## Personal Frameworks` section - Cluster notes that didn't elevate → `second-brain/clusters--.md` (preserves them for next window's counting) The distillate carries the signal forward. The raw captures are preserved for provenance and re-distillation if the framework later matures or is contested. ## Rules - **Never** elevate a pattern to framework below the ≥3 threshold. The threshold is the discipline. - **Never** mutate the Genius Profile directly. Propose; confirm via Genius agent at quarterly review. - **Never** dedupe captures before counting. Frequency is signal — collapsing hides it. - **Never** archive captures whose clusters haven't distilled. Preserve until the next window counts them. - **Always** count in the person's voice. "Observed 5 times" not "n=5." - **Always** cross-reference with Genius Profile before naming net-new frameworks. Most emerging patterns are evolution, not discovery. - **Always** let clusters die honestly. Not every theme becomes a framework. "Interesting, not yet useful" is a valid final state. ## Integration Points - **Vault:** Reads `second-brain/inbox/`, `second-brain/captures/`; writes `second-brain/distillates/`, `second-brain/archive/`, `personal//wisdom-vault.md`, `second-brain/genius-evolution/.md`. - **Agents:** Starlight Second Brain (primary). Genius (evolution proposals). Sage (cross-reference with institutional Wisdom). - **Commands:** `/distill-insights` invokes this skill directly; `/orchestrate-brain` runs it in the weekly 30-min ritual at lightweight depth. - **Skills:** Composes with `memory/knowledge-synthesis` (clustering), `intelligence/pattern-recognition` (threshold recognition), `memory/vault-management` (persistence), `iterative-retrieval` (progressive refinement across windows). ## Quality Criteria - Did every framework elevation meet the ≥3 threshold? - Did the monthly distillation produce ≥1 elevation or honestly note "no signal yet"? - Were raw captures archived after distillation, preserving the distillate? - Was the Genius Profile cross-referenced before naming net-new frameworks? - Did the distillate read as the person's voice, not generic template language? - Would re-reading the distillate in 6 months still make sense without the raw captures? --- **Built on SIP** — Starlight Intelligence Protocol - Substrate: starlightintelligence.org/protocol v1.1.0 - Layers used: [file-contract, attestation, commands, sovereignty] - Verticals: starlight-intelligence-system@v7.4 (SBIS alpha) - Generated: 2026-04-24 - Attestation is compounding, not credit transfer: every composition strengthens every node. ---